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UKIP’s general election candidate for the Isle of Wight said last weekend’s European election results showed voters put no trust in the empty promises of the old parties.

As reported, there was a huge swing in the voting for the party compared with 2009. UKIP attracted more than 40 per cent of the vote on the Island, beating the Conservatives, with 26 per cent, into second.

In a statement issued today (Wednesday) prospective parliamentary candidate Iain McKie said: "I expect that we will hear from the old parties that they intend to listen to the voice of Euroscepticism, and act upon it, and plenty will try and emphasise their so-called Eurosceptic credentials.

"But it is too late. It is clear that the voters now have no trust in their empty promises. Having said that, I will not put up my feet and relax, I will continue to campaign, and campaign hard for the next 11 months to become the Island’s next Member of Parliament."

It was also a good year for Labour, according to its general election hopeful, Stewart Blackmore.

He said: "This was a very good result for the IW Labour Party. We increased our vote by 30 per cent and the Lib Dems are in meltdown.

"I believe that Labour has a real chance to get an historic result on the Island on May 7, 2015. We must convince those, especially the Libdems who voted in 2010, to vote Labour next time.

"UKIP benefitted from a huge apathy vote, with people fed up with politics letting the big two know how cheesed off they are. I am of course disappointed that 12 per cent of the Isle of Wight electorate have voted for UKIP, a party with no policies and whose MEPs will not try to get things done in the European Parliament for Isle of Wight organisations and people."

He said however that past results showed European election results did not translate to the general election and estimated that UKIP would only retain 25 per cent of its vote, most coming from right wing Conservatives.

"Lord Ashcroft’s poll at the weekend illustrated this quite clearly. Only 7 per cent of UKIP votes come from left-of-centre parties, the rest coming from the Tories, BNP and the rest," he said.